Bone fractures are traditionally treated with screws, staples, and/or plates to re-approximate the fractured surfaces and generate compression between bone fragments. The bone mineral density of osteoporotic and osteopenic bone is less than the bone mineral density of healthy bone, and therefore screws do not strongly grip into this soft bone. Clinically, to address this fixation problem, surgeons use multiple screws and/or larger diameter screws. Surgeons may switch from using a cortical bone screw to using a cancellous bone screw. Cancellous bone screws have a larger diameter and much deeper threads that can better grip the soft bone. However, larger screws weaken the overall anatomy and create regions of high stress.
Therefore, there is a need for other methods to increase the ability of screws to grip osteoporotic bone.